Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson breathed new life into the Batman franchise. A heady and cerebral mystery gave audiences a first-time crime-fighter thinking on his feet rather than his fists. The dark, seedy underbelly of Gotham took center stage under the light of a lone alley. Criminals felt closer to reality, taking the horrors and tragedies straight from the headlines. The Riddler went from innocent brain-stealing puzzles to political terrorism and assassination. The Penguin went from orphaned deformity to deformed villain. Batman and the rest of his infamous rogues' gallery continue to evolve and refresh their identities and motives.
The Batman ended in a grey area, leaving Gotham's future in uncertainty. Speculations for potential villains in The Batman 2 have been suggested, many of which would be possible in Matt Reeves' version of Batman. Arkham Asylum was also featured briefly in the film, hinting at the other baddies Batman could meet. A long-time Batman villain that hasn't seen live-action is Clayface. Beyond his famous appearance in the two-part episode "Feat of Clay" in Batman: The Animated Series, the amorphous monster has been unutilized.
Whodunit?
The Batman presented a detective noir with a runner and chaser plot. The roles were cleverly reversed between hero and villain as they both question, manipulate, and subvert the corrupted system that made their existence necessary. An identity crisis seems to plague Gotham's Caped Crusader and criminals. Clayface has nothing but an identity crisis. The character has had many facelifts and rebooted origin stories, but the two are inseparable for Batman fans.
From the golden age of comics, his real name was Basil Karlo (an amalgam of Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone), a B-list actor who sought revenge as his title character after learning he was not recast for his role in the horror remake. The more popular version of Clayface is the shape-shifting mass from Batman: The Animated Series, once known as Matt Hagen. In the comics, he was a treasure hunter who discovers a radioactive pool he frequents to turn into the clay enemy. For the animated show, they combined Karlo's backstory with Hagen's ability to shape-shift to create a movie monster come to life. A movie character that can be anyone at any time will keep the mysterious air fresh in The Batman 2.
Face Off
Clayface has appeared on live-action television with mixed results. Kirk Baltz played him in Birds of Prey (who looked like Fantastic Four team member Thing if he had acne), while Brian McMahanamon played him in Gotham (who stretches his face like Mr. Fantastic doing a peek-a-boo magic trick). The Batman TV series almost had Clayface but was replaced by the goofy-looking False Face, played by Malachi Throne. The character had many other appearances in DC animated shows, but none compared to Ron Pearlman as Hagen in "Feat of Clay." Clayface is one of Batman's villains that deserves the most sympathy.
He suffered a disfiguring car accident, leaving him vulnerable and manipulated by businessman Roland Daggett. Daggett offered him a regenerative beauty cream called Renuyu, which he grew dependent on. Daggett used Hagen's prowess as an actor and shape-shifter to commit crimes, but the addictive side effects made Hagen a threat. Daggett forces an overdose of Renuyu into Hagen's body, leaving behind the fearsome form of Clayface. Subsequent episodes show Clayface wanting to find a cure (much like Mr. Freeze does for his terminable wife) or have the best of both worlds as man and clay creature. On top of the who's who and guess-who mystery, the duality and power struggle of Clayface would be a promising plot for The Batman 2.
Behind the Mask
Clayface could psychologically torture Bruce Wayne as his closest allies and unknowingly throw the Dark Knight off his game. He had players fooled the first time they played Batman: Arkham City as he posed as the Joker. Ron Pearlman could reprise his role as the voice, give the on-screen role to Marvel's Sandman, Thomas Haden Church, and take on the form of the Joker with another brief appearance by Barry Keoghan as the Clown Prince of Crime. The multiverse would thank Matt Reeves again for following the source material so closely.
The twists and turns and transformations would be impressive to see in a live-action Batman film. Since Clayface can be anyone he pleases, there are plenty of chances for cameos. Another nod to noir is possible, too. A scene where Clayface enters a hall of mirrors replaced with a hall of portraits would be just like The Lady of Shanghai and the BTAS episode "Baby Doll." Seeing Clayface come to terms with his visage and Batman facing a seemingly indestructible foe is the perfect balance of vengeance and justice.